The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-03-09
THE Veto SUSTAINED.
The House Refuses to Pass the
Dependent Pensions Bill.
A Vigorous and Acrimonious De-
bate Before the Vote.

The National House of Representatives. on
Thursday refused to pass the Dependent Fen
sions bill over the Presidents veto by vote OF
175 yeas to 125 nays-not the necessary two
thirds in the affirmative. In the prolonged
debate which followed the reading of the COM
mittees report, Mr.. Bragg (Wis) said that
this was one of the most scandalous
bills that had ever been sent to
President for his signature, and the
people of the country, without regard to
party, had every reason to bo thankful that
it had been presented to an Executive who
had backbone enough to meet the situation.
In n few years the soldiers of the country
mot the bummers) would have arrived at an
AGE when they could come to Congress and
demand as a right, not ask as q charity, that
provision be made for them. Let not Con-
time arrived by yielding to the de-
mands of descrters, coffee coolers, and
bounty jumpers 1t had been charged that
he was not friend of the soldier. To that
he replied that no MN who had served with
his troops in the fell for four years. who had
followed tine flag in fifty or sixty pitched bat
ties. would forget them. 1t was for that class
of soldiers that he stool here to-day-to de-
fend them against the imputation cast upon
The men who advocated this bill were not the
friends of the true soldier.
Mr. Henderson Qowal-I pronounce that
false.
Mr.. Bragg went on to analyze the hill and
point out what lc regarded rs its vitality evil
features. 1t would, he said, grant pensions
to the men who had served from December,
1864, to June, 1865. Who were those men.
They were the scum of the earth. They stayed
in their homes until they were bought-bought
by men who speculated in blood-paid from
500 to $500, with the private assurance that
they were physically 50 defective that all
they hal to do was to go to the hospital and
not endanger their precious carcasseS.. Gen-
tlemen talked about soldiers being in aims
houses The men who were found there
were the men who had come from them and
who, when they left the army, had lapsed in
to their old condition. No true, brave soldier
need ever go to the poorhouse.
Mr. Warner Ohio said that no class Of
men should be more grateful for the veto
than the veteran soldiers who went into the
war in 1861 and 1852, and stayed there until
they had achieved success This bill would
not reach q man in n reg imcnt of those who
went out in 1861 and 1867 They would not
become the beneliciarics of this act, but the
pension roll would be degraded below the
level of pauperisnl. The bill set a premium
upon pauperiSin and improvidcncc.
Mr.. Curtin PENN said that if the cOnstruc-
tion of the President was correct the bill was
not favorable to the true soldier of the coun-
try, and he would therefore vote to sustain
the veto.
Mr. Mckinley Ohio said that if he be-
lieved that the beneficiarics of the bill Were
scoundrels and vagalonds he would not vote
for its passage over the veto OF the President,
but he did not believe with the gentleman
from Wisconsin (Mr. Bragg that the bene-
ticiarics were either sbirkS or vagabonds, or
good-for-nothing scoundrcls He believed
that there were thousands scattered over the
country who fought as bravely as Gen. Bragg,
though they were not here TO tell ol tlcir
deeds of courage and glory.
Mr. Hepburn uowal, commented on the
fact that every member who had spoken i'll
opposition to the bill, save one, had voted for
it originally. A large number OF them like
himself. terminated their official lives on the
4th of March, and a large number of them,
unlike himself, were now about the White
House blending the pregnant hinges of the
knee that thrift may follow fawning."
Mr.. Walford (kyl said that as Democrat
he honorcd the President but that he did not
agree with him that the poor starving soldier
should die without recognition of his serv.
ices.
Mr.. Rockwell NIass) would vote against
the veto and declared that as legal and pa
triotic document the report of the Committee
on Invalid Pensions far outStripped the veto.
Mr.. Matson (Ind.l closed the debate He
said he had been asked whether the President
had ever signed n petition asking that q pen
sion be granted to all soldiers Of the late war.
He held in his hand a petition, drawn up in
1884, which was too long to read now. 1t was
numerously signed, and in substance asked
that pension of at least IS month he grant
ed to all honorably discharged soldiers. 1t
contained this endorsement:
IL am sure that the subject of this p tition
is worthy of the prompt and careful consider
alton of Congress, and the fullest justice
should be done to the parties in whose inter.
eSts this movement is made.
GROVER CLEVELAND"
The question was then put: ''Will the
House upon reconsideration pass the bill, the
Presidents objections to the contrary not
withstanding9' and it was decided in the neg.
ative-yeaS l15. nays 125-not the conStitu.
tional two-thirds in the affirmative.
The vote for the bill consisted of 13T Repub.
icans and IS Democrats, including the Green
back Democrat, Weaver of Iowa. The vote
against the bill was cast by Democrats alone.
The 3S Democrats who voted with
the Republicans were: Mcssls Bliss
Bynum j. f. Campbell, Carleton,
Eldredgc, Ford, Frederick, Geddes.
Hale Holman, Howard, Klciner, Landes Law
Ter, Le Fevre, Lore, Lowering, Mahoney: Mat
son. Maybury, Mcrlfman, Murphy, Neece,
J. J. ONeill, Pindar, Randall, Riggs, Sency,
Sprggs. Swope, Tarsney, Taulbec, Town
sliend, J. Fl. Ward, j. Il. Weaver, wilkins,
Woford. Worthington. The Democrats who
voted for the bill on its first passage and who
changed their votes to the negative in order
to sustain the veto of the President were 2S in
number out Of G7 in all. as follows: MessrS J.
J. Adams, Bacon, Boyle, Burns, Cobb,
Curtin, Dougherty, Eden, Ermentrout,
Fisher, Gay, {. H. Gibson, Hall, Hill,
Hatch, McAdoo, Morrison, Cultivate,
Scott, Seymour, Shaw, Sowden, Springer,
Stahmecker W. j. Stone, of Missouri,
Eiele, L. B. Ward, A. j. Warner.
The result of the vote was received with ap-
nlause on the Democratic side of The House